CNN's Ana Cabrera speaks to Al Lupiano, a former student. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Is it a cancer cluster or just a coincidence? Earlier this year, Colonia graduate Al Lupiano, also an environmental scientist, discovered more than 100 teachers and alums of the school who reported having brain tumors, drawing international attention to the community and sparking state and local investigations. Please consider subscribing to NJ.com. "I had recalled two family friends, the Black sisters, had also passed of these brain tumors," Lupiano said. Both had graduated from Colonia High School, the news outlet reported. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. His sister succumbed to brain cancer. A stock photo shows medical workers looking at a brain scan or brain scans. A total of 104 former students and faculty with brain tumors responded to a Facebook post. COLONIA, New Jersey (WABC) -- An investigation into the possible link between a Central New Jersey school and cases of brain cancer found no radiological hazards that warranted further investigation, the district superintendent said Thursday. Earlier this spring . Woodbridge Township Mayor John McCormac told WABC that the situation was "alarming because there are just so many people with a tumormalignant or benign, and it's serious.". A scientist and mother is demanding answers after tests she conducted found cancer-causing toxins and materials were present at the school where more than 100 former students have since been. The cause hasn't been discovered yet, but some researchers suspect . Lupiano started researching. She also cautioned that additional toxins could be present at the school because she described her initial testing as very limited, meaning it did not include taking air samples or probing deep into the soil or groundwater. Facebook Colonia High School A cluster of brain tumors and cancer in people associated with a single New Jersey high school is causing concern. Early testing at the Woodbridge school by a consultant for the . All three family members attended Colonia High, the NY Post noted. "The EPA and CDC are not testing at Colonia High School," said Hagerty. Unfortunately, that didnt happen.. The video has been viewed more than 3 million times.Whittington believes that the Colonia High School students and staff have developed glioblastoma multiforme, a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor that invades the nearby brain tissue. The school is expected to remain open during this time. She said she collected a dust sample from the top of the stall in a womens bathroom inside Colonia on Aug. 30, then sent it to a state-certified laboratory in Mountainside for testing. Other toxic elements and compounds could exist at the schools property due to presence of suspected fill material, potential illegal disposal of chemicals or contaminant migration from surrounding properties, Komorek stated in her letter. Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist,. It's not air. This is terrific news for current students of Colonia High School (CHS) and their parents who worried about their safety along with current staff members, Mayor John E. McCormac said. All of the cases have ties to Colonia High School, either as students or employees. Lupiano, an environmental scientist, began researching the matter and reaching out to people on Facebook who had attended the school and been diagnosed with primary brain tumors. Whittington a board-certified MD in California claimed several of the brain tumors developed by ex-Colonia High staff and students are glioblastoma multiforme an aggressive cancer. Advocates, for months, implored state and local officials to undertake more testing. Lupiano said he started searching for instances of Colonia High graduates having brain tumors and was stunned to discover 15 people in total, with two newly discovered cases pending further . $4 Million Settlement Mass Torts $203 Million Class Action Financial Services $75 Million Class Action Mass Torts $200 Million Class Action WOODBRIDGE TWP., New Jersey -- Al Lupiano graduated from Colonia High School in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey in 1989. Al Lupiano, a Colonia High School graduate is on a mission to answer that question after discovering more than 80 fe. Last year, Lupianos wife and sister also developed brain tumors, as first reported byCBS New York. And there are many different forms of these cancers. Thanks to social media, Lupiano found a total of 104 former students and faculty with brain tumors - about half are cancerous. On March 29, 2022, Lupiano wrote an article in a local newsletter, asking for help to identify people who developed the brain tumors, to collect data to plan further steps for answers to a probably cause. Follow him on Twitter @MattStanmyre. Some are the most awful worst kinds of brain cancer. ET: The spelling of Michele DeCillis has been corrected. So, would you take us through what is known so far about this cluster? McCormac previously said he also expects the ground and soil around Colonia High School will be tested, along with the air inside the high school building. Since . "We're going to test and hope we find nothing," McCormac previously said. Over 1,300 cases have been reported of people getting sick after eating the Lucky Charms cereal. Dozens of former teachers and. When he started digging and looking for a link, the common link was Colonia High School. Stanmyre: Right now, the number this week is up to 117 people who have been found to have a primary brain tumor of some sorts, according to data from Al Lupiano, who is the Colonia graduate who has kind of spearheaded all of this. The pool is getting a new liner, gutter and deck, along with new filtration systems. Others are benign and very slow-growing that are going to use a different kind of treatment altogether. In 1999, when he was just 27, Al. McCormac says last Saturday, environmentalists placed random canisters inside the school to collect air samples. katherine noelle wyman; cape breton post obituaries 2022. location symbol text in word; list of female jockeys australia; mike conley house columbus ohio address Additionally, T&M Associates has begun conducting historic site research to obtain any and all necessary records related to the construction of Colonia High School when it was built in 1967, through to the present. Nsikan runs the health and science desk at WNYC/Gothamist. ', * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts, AccuWeather: AM showers before a mild afternoon, Extra Time: Breaking down massive NYC, NYPD settlement, Teammate facing charges in crash that killed local UGA player. He shared a 2020 Emmy for the PBS NewsHour series Stopping a Killer Pandemic and in 2019 received a George FosterPeabodyAwardfor the PBS NewsHour series The Plastic Problem. Nsikan has also worked for NPR, Science News Magazine, Science Magazine, KUSP Central Coast Public Radio, the Santa Cruz Sentinel and as a writer at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University. Lupiano, an environmental scientist and industrial engineer, picked up on a trend. He added that the Environmental Protection Agency has gotten involved in the investigation. Social media has played a big role in shining the light of truth on this situation. Woodbridge Township is paying T&M Associates $221,350 to do the radon testing. I made a promise to my sister while she was dying that if something did this to us, I will find out what did it, Lupiano says. What I find alarming is theres truly only one environmental link to primary brain tumors and thats ionizing radiation. I will not rest until I have answers. Lupiano also lost his younger sister to the disease in February at the age of 44, the outlet continued. This is the preliminary step that they're taking to see if they can find anything. United States Department of Environmental Protection. LOS ANGELES (AP) More than a week after Tom Sizemore suffered a brain aneurysm, a representative says the actor's family is "now deciding end of life matters." "Today, doctors informed . Before National Geographic, he worked for more than four years at PBS NewsHour, where he co-created anaward-winning video series named ScienceScope. The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington, DC 20006, (RELATED: Video Shows Man Repeatedly Running Over Woman With SUV After Minor Incident). (RELATED: Video Shows Man Repeatedly Running Over Woman With SUV After Minor Incident). Massimino said in the memo the district has contacted our environmental consultants, the Health Department of the Township of Woodbridge, and Township Officials to review the information. He also said the township shared the information with the State Department of Environmental Protection and the State Department of Health.. "There's lots and lots of people calling me, saying, 'Look, I didn't go to the high school, but I live a mile away, and we call our block cancer alley,'" he told Fox News. However, I still think we need to expedite the next phase of testing including water, soil, and air, to determine if more than one contaminant is present, he said. The mother of two Colonia High students who believed not enough environmental testing was done in the aftermath of reports of a possible brain tumor cluster connected to the school told NJ Advance Media she has found evidence of highly toxic chemicals at Colonia through her own independent testing. Kamal added that there needs to be a full investigation to understand if these cancers are linked, and if there's a specific cause. They said they took your temperature. "My wife fought like crazy. Lupiano, his wife Michele (CHS Class of 1991) and his sister Angela (CHS Class of 1995) were all diagnosed with rare, similar sized brain tumors on the left side. Brain cancer is relatively rare but very dangerous. We will continue to keep you informed as we develop a plan of action based on the advice of our experts.. Three weeks later, Komorek collected a caulk sample from a northern exterior wall of the school and sent it to another state-certified lab in Fairfield. He said in 40 years of neurology, he had never heard of a married couple that both had the same type of primary brain tumor. A high school in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, is being investigated by environmental experts after reports of more than 100 former students and staff being diagnosed with brain tumors. Unfortunately, hers was terminal, and she died in February. I will uncover the truth," Lupiano said to NJ.com. My best friend had a cancerous brain tumor. Hill: Brain tumors, relative to other types of cancer, are typically rare but can be very lethal. Dr. Joseph Massimino, superintendent of Woodbridge Township School District has commented that they are waiting for more details and formulating next steps, in coordination with New Jersey environmental agencies. Al Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor in 1999. Hill: Brain tumors, relative to other types of cancer, are typically rare but can be very lethal. They are testing the grounds outside and inside of the high school inside. Lupiano grew up in Woodbridge Township and he now works as an environmental scientist; he no longer lives in Woodbridge. Through his posts, Lupiano, CHS Class of 1989, wanted to find out if CHS is the cause of primary brain tumors that have affected more than 100 former students and staff. Theyve placed canisters inside the school. Its not something in soil. But even more rare was the fact that his wife and sister later found out that they had similar medical conditions. In his first public comments on the matter, Murphy told reporters he is taking this issue "very seriously," but also cautioned: "I don't know that we know enough yet to be definitive in terms of causation," Murphy said, according to 101.5. I could go on. His wife. The statewide graduation rate fell slightly, from 91% in 2019-20 to 90.6%. Radiologic Technologist Per Diem. "I had told my sister from the very beginning that there was too much of a coincidence that me, my wife and her all have the same tumor," Lupiano said. Colonia High School: Environmentalists determining possible link between New Jersey school and brain tumors - ABC7 Chicago tumor Former students wonder if their brain tumors are. "Woodbridge Township contacted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the CDC, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) (which is part of CDC), and the state Department of Health last week, and we've begun initial discussions with them.". They may need to excavate soil underneath the school. The environmental assessment study at Colonia High School was recently completed, in response to allegations that suggested the school had radiological hazards that contributed to diagnoses of brain tumors, cancers, and other central nervous disorders in former students and staff members. It's not something in soil," Lupiano said to CBS News. I know so many people who have ailments and cancer specifically who lived near there. Lupiano was diagnosed with a rare and abnormally large brain tumour Acoustic Neuroma (AN) in 1999 when he was just 27 years old. In presenting her findings, Komorek urged the district to share her findings with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Al Lupiano, an environmental scientist and a 1989 graduate of the N.J. high school began investigating Colonia High School in Woodbridge when he realized many others with ties to the school suffered the rare brain tumors, just like he did, 20 years ago. There have been some outlier cases. An alumnus of Colonia High School in Woodbridege, N.J. is investigating his former high school, claiming he has counted 115 people who attended or worked there to have had a rare brain tumor, according to CBS News. After nearly 100 people who attended the same New Jersey high school developed rare brain tumors, an alumnus and cancer survivor is demanding answers. Whittington believes that the Colonia High School students and staff have developed glioblastoma multiforme, a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor that invades the nearby brain tissue. Today, he still suffers lingering effects. A New Jersey town is planning to conduct environmental testing at Colonia High School after a resident discovered dozens of people connected to the school had developed rare brain tumors. The governor wont be embracing the bill despised by landlords and supported by tenant advocates. Lupiano also says people who did not attend the school but live nearby have gotten in touch with him to express their concerns. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Woodbridge Township has contracted environmental engineering firm T&M Associates to carry out radiation tests at Colonia High School to investigate a possible link between the school and the reported brain tumors, according to New York news outlet WABC. Colonia is not a mega high school. 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